The Shapeshifter: Surviving the Secrets
by GoldenFalcon-101
Summary: Six months after Stirring the Storm, and a new shapeshifter has been found. But Maddie refuses to use her powers, too choked up by the memories Cola Club provide to concentrate. Then a secret emerges from the past, threatening to destroy the future...
1. Chapter 1

The Shapeshifter: Surviving the Secrets

(**OK, HI! Um, you may/not know I am writing another Shapeshifter story on DeviantArt. It holds no similarities to this. Thanks. K, disclaimer: I DONT OWN SHAPESHIFTER. ALI SPARKES OWNS SHAPESHIFTER. I DONT OWN ANY CHARACTERS, EXCEPT MADDIE.)**

"Maddie."

A voice. Echoing through the darkness.

"Maddie!"

My eyes slowly edged open. Yet...where was I? Opening my eyes showed me no light.

Only milky blackness.

"Maddie!"

I felt panic rising in my chest, and I immediately scolded myself for being such a wimp. My brother wasn't a wimp. He was the bravest boy I ever had-ever will-know.

Ever had...

I blinked a few times, trying to see, straining my eyes to glimpse light. Refreshing light that would save me, maybe even...maybe even..change the past?

I began to run a few short, useless paces. Blindly I threw my hands out in front of me-

And came into contact with a material, soft yet scratchy, warm yet sharp.

I gasped and pulled back, my heart pounding. Amber eyes were opening, slowly, showing tiny pupils that seemed to bore straight through my skin. They let off an eerie glow, lighting up the darkness around me.

I was in a small cave. Rusted rocks lined the edges, and sharp pebbles wove around my feet.

But that was not the scariest part.

A wolf was standing right in front of me, grey and white, mouth open showing sharp teeth that glinted, claws unsheathed.

Suddenly, a voice broke it's way into my thoughts.

"Beware the past...beware the future..._save_ the present..."

I woke up in a sweat. My father was peering anxiously at me, his blue eyes frowning. "Maddie? Are you OK?"

I nodded, unable to speak. What was with that dream? It triggered something in my brain, yet I could not remember what.

Yes I could.

My brother. My dear, wise brother. It reminded me of him.

He had disappeared a few years ago, when I was 9. Dad had later told me he had...gone somewhere, a camp, where he would be safe. Confused, I had asked, "But isn't he safe here?"

"No," my dad had replied. "This is the worst place for him to be."

Those words had haunted me the rest of my life.

And my Dad had lied. He wasn't safe there-Dad had promised I would see him soon enough, but I hadn't.

I hadn't seen him ever again...

"Your not still nervous about today, are you?"

"N-no," I said, even though I was.

Dad searched my face. "That's good, then. Do you want to come downstairs?"

"I'll be right down," I replied.

But first I had a look around my room. The many posters of horses and ponies, the vast ornaments of puppies, the kitten mattress.

Pretty soon, I would have a new bedroom.

I'd looked at the leaflets, and all in all, the place looked OK. I would be sharing a room with some girls called Lisa, Jennifer and Mia.

I hope they're nice.

I hope they won't think I'm weird.

I hope-

There I am. I'm being a wimp again. That's me, a stupid wimp, who was too scared to hand homework in late.

And now I was randomly turning into a raven.

I hadn't _wanted _it to happen, of course. Who would? At first, it had started with my brother. One night I had witnessed him turning into a _wolf _of all things. It was scary, yes-but it was also massively cool to my 9-year-old brain. I was sad when my brother left for Cola Club, but I knew he would be back soon.

Or at least, I _thought _I knew.

And now, four years onwards, and I had that same power-the same 'gift', the same 'curse'.

Turning into a raven is a curse.

If it happens to you, your unlucky.

My luck ran out on my 13th birthday.

When I woke up, I expected to be excited. I was a teenager at last! But instead, I felt a strange calm. I felt a desire to hop about, and a desire to fly.

I thought I was crazy, in need of a doctor. But when I had slowly hopped my way to the mirror, I found myself face to face with a black, fearless raven.

Me.

I changed back after half an hour of panicking and flapping my wings. Since then, I have changed nine times.

Nine times too many, I reckon.

And now I was going to meet "someone of my own kind". Someone of my own kind? What was I, an alien?

I decided it was finally time to go downstairs. I trailed down, in my polka dot dressing-gown.

My father was there to greet me. "Hey, there, kiddo." He flashed me a grin. "Excited?"

"Not really," I replied warily.

He waved my nervousness away with a hand. "I'm sure it'll be fine. This...who is it? Mrs. Sartre? She sounds nice, doesn't she?"

I just shrugged.

Before I could say another word, the doorbell let out a shrill whistle. Immediatley, before my father could even stand up from his seat, I raced for the sofa and leaped onto it, clutching a pillow and biting my lips.

What if they were nasty to me?

What if nobody else could turn into other animals?

What if they all ignored me?

What if-

"Hello, dear. My name is Mrs. Sartre."

I gasped and looked up. A woman with a heavy French accent was staring down at me. Two boys were at her side-one was tall with dark brown hair and wise eyes, but with the hint of a smile across his face, and the other was shorter with a flop of messy blonde hair and a smile stretched across his face.

This was it. This was it. Take deep breathes Maddie, deep breathes. These boys are just the same as you, they have weird magic powers and they are not going to laugh at you...

"What's your name?"

The woman spoke again. I looked up at her and whispered, "M-Maddie. Maddie Davies."

"That's a nice name." Glancing at my dad, who nodded, she sat down opposite me and signalled for the boys to sit next to her, with a stern "Keep Quiet Or It's Detention" look on her face.

Or something like that.

Mrs. Sartre pursed her thin lips and clasped her hands together. "Now, dear, I hear you can change into other animals?"

"Yes," I muttered.

"What animals?"

"O-only a raven."

"A raven? That's new."

I stared at her. New? That's _new_? Of course it was _new_! Not everyone could change into a raven! Of course, I wouldn't mind trading my life for a normal life.

Mrs. Sartre finally remembered the boys. "Oh, this is Dax and Gideon. Dax is a shapeshifter-" She glanced over at me. "Just like you. Gideon is a telekinetic, and he begged to come."

_A telekawhat?_ I thought.

She pulled some case notes out of a folder. "Maggie...Maggie Davies. Ah yes! Maggie Davies. Daughter of Jack Davies, and brother of the deceased Matt Davies, am I correct?"

"Yes," I whispered, a lump in my throat. The room was spinning. I was remembering...

My brother was Matt Davies. He could turn into a wolf. He went to the Cola Club.

And he got killed by a speeding car.


	2. Chapter 2

OMG GUYS GUESS WHAT I'M ALIVE YAY. Soo I'm continuing this…sooo…yeah… Btw, it'll be in 3rd person from now on. I dunno, I just automatically do it like that…Also, I deleted the second chapter with Catherine in because it didn't fit in ^^''

Enjoy! :3 Lastly: This involves shipping with Gideon. Don't like don't read XD (Well, it includes two shippings. One verymuchalmostcanoninmymind and one fan one.)

'I still don't understand why you went all hoo-haa and fainted.'

'Gideon.'

'I mean, come _on!_ You were as bad as Lisa then!'

'Gideon.'

' "_Ooooh, Maddy, your Great Aunt Jemma wants to speak to you-she says to dig that homemade jumper she made for you years ago out of your closet. Whaaat? You threw it away? Oh, you hurt her feelings. She's going to go and turn into a poltergeist now and haunt youuuu…._FOREVER!'

Gideon's last shriek made Maddy jump out of her seat, shocked. Of course, Gideon fell about laughing at her shocked face and despite his stern looks, eventually Dax had to join in. 'Your face,' Gideon chortled, doubling over in chuckles. Dax began to blush when he saw Maddy's embaressed face, and he coughed, straightened up, and unsuccessfully tried to keep a serious face. Gideon, however, was still cracking up.

'I've never seen that chocolate shop before,' Dax suddenly commented casually, pointing out of the window. Gideon was at it in an instant.

'_Where?_'

'Oh, you just missed it. Shame, that.' Glancing towards her, Dax shot Maddy a cheeky grin. She took this moment to subtly realize how…well. She couldn't really explain it. She didn't really want to, either.

Mrs. Satre had given her four hours to pack up her belongings and say goodbye to friends and family. 'It'll be hard,' she had said, 'But it is better to get this over and done with, yes?' With that she had called the bemused boys out of the house (from where they were still staring at her in concern and wonder after her faint). She had then phoned her friends to tell them where she was going.

'Aww, that sucks. Will you be back at holidays?' (Lucy. She sounded as if she didn't care, but Maddy knew that she was shocked. She had yet to convince her friend not to suffer in silence.)

'What? But…but _you're no genius!_ That's my job!' (Katy. Egghead of her little circle of friends, but funny all the same. Also not at all modest, but Maddy managed to ignore that detail of personality.)

'Okay, okay, let me get this straight. You're going to this weird boarding school because you're a ….genius, and a hot boy is going to be there? With _other _boys? _ALL YEAR? _*excited gasp* You must phone me _every night _and tell me how many fit boys are there!' (No chance, was Maddy's words to Rebecca, but she wisely chose not to say this and instead halfheartedly agreed.)

'You can't go! What will I do without you! I'll like….die a tragic death! Don't go and leave me to this torturous fate!' (Opal, her best friend and budding author. Maddy had smiled for the first time during the last few hours then at her friends melodramatic act.)

She had then packed her bags whilst her father phoned relatives of the news. Her posters had been stuffed in, books, magazines and her toy cat, Muffins. She wasn't leaving him, no matter what. Mittens was a good shoulder to cry on-he never spoke, just listened.

'We're nearly here.' Mrs. Satre's voice brought her back to the present. She stared out of the rain splattered windscreen of the dismal old van. She wondered who she would meet there. As if on cue, Gideon spoke.

'Me and Luke are going out into the forest to collect conkers when we get back. Wanna come with us?' It was an invitation to both his best friend and the mysterious new girl.

'Sure,' Dax replied. 'Why do you want conkers though?'

Gideon shrugged. 'I read somewhere that they scare spiders away. The smell, or something.'

Dax stifled a laugh. 'I could always eat the scary hairy spiders,' he teased, giggling. Gideon snorted. 'That would be worse.'

Maddy spoke for the first time during their journey, swallowing down the tide of homesickness threatening to gobble her up. Her father used to collect conkers with her every Autumn. It was fun.

'Who's Luke?'

Both boys looked at her and smiled. 'He's my brother,' Gideon explained.

'Does he look like you?'

There was a long pause. 'Yes,' Gideon said. He was suddenly a tiny bit wary, Maddy realized, and she quickly shut up and continued to gaze at the landscape swooping past her.

There was another pause, before Gideon spoke up. 'You know, a raven _and _a falcon would be really helpful for collecting the conkers. You know, in case we get eaten by giant blue badgers or something.'

'Here we are.'

_Already? Oh God._

Mrs. Satre turned to peer at her. 'You are okay, yes?' she asked.

Maddy nodded numbly, opening the van door to step outside. The breeze hit her like a tidal wave. It was cold-well, it was Autumn. But this was _freezing_. Shivering, she hugged herself and tried to control her chattering teeth.

Gideon stepped out beside her, also shuddering. A handsome red fox followed him, fur puffed out against the cold.

Maddy did a double take.

A _fox. _Gasping, she stepped away. What if it was rabid or something? She grabbed Gideon's arm on impulse to pull him away.

Gideon looked down at her in surprise. 'Where's the fire?' Then his eyes lightened with amusement. 'Ohhh.' He turned to the fox, grinning. 'You're being selfish again. And to a _girl _as well!'

There was a short flash, and Dax was in the fox's place, shivering and wrapping his coat tighter around his body. 'Oo-ooh, so-orrry-yyyy,' he said between shudders.

Gideon eyed him with disgust. 'I hate you sometimes,' he commented, before striding off. Dax laughed and hurried to catch up with him, changing into fox form as he did so.

Amazing.

Maddy wondered if she had a flash. She wondered what kind of weirdo place this was. Most of all, she wondered if she would fit in.

DaxFox stopped, turning to look at her with bright, intelligent brown eyes. He yipped and motioned with his head for her to follow. Maddy hesitated, before a gentle bony hand on her shoulder urged her forward. She turned to look at Mrs. Satre's smiling face. 'He won't bite,' she said. Then she chuckled. 'Well. He could and he has, but not to you. He bit Owen a lot.' Her voice trailed off, and her eyes clouded with sadness.

Maddy smiled at her, wondering who Owen was and why the headteacher looked so sad. Before she could upset her any further, Maddy jogged towards the fox and the boy.

'Glad you could join us,' Gideon greeted her as they made her way towards the cottage looming up towards them. Maddy swallowed and asked the dreaded question.

'What…what if I'm weird?'

There was a long pause in which Maddy ran through all the answers.

_Yeah…kids round here don't take kindly to strangers._

_Pfft, it took you that long to work it out?_

_Idiot._

'Okay, it's official. Girls are aliens.'

Maddy blinked at Gideon's answer. 'What?'

Gideon was staring at her. 'You think that you'll be _weird_? In this…loony bin?' He grinned and Maddy felt her insides melt away.

'W-what do you mean?'

Dax came up behind her, and changed to a human. 'No way. Gideon is like, the definition of weird.'

Gideon gasped in mock horror. 'I am _NOT_!'

Without warning, a nearby branch snapped on its own occurd. Maddy took a step backwards in astonishment as Gideon's eyes followed it as it zoomed to just in front of his hand. 'Wow,' she breathed.

'En guard!' Gideon yelled, somehow thrashing the stick in sword movements. Dax pretended to cower. 'I surrender!' he cried in mock despair.

Gideon stood above him. 'Oh _yeah_? Well…uhhh….then _this _pretty lady shall die!' Turning his head, he swooped the stick towards Maddy's neck and she couldn't help but smile.

Dax chortled and with another flash, he was swooping into the air in the form of a magnificent peregrine falcon. Maddy's breath caught in her throat. It was beautiful.

Gideon laughed and Maddy realized that it must come as naturally to him as it did to Dax. How did they get over the pure beauty of the falcon? She couldn't get her head round it.

'Oh dear! The hostage has escaped! Retreat!' he yelled, turning to run. He stopped dead suddenly, turning pale.

Maddy raised her eyebrows as Gideon took a few slow steps backwards. Her heart quickened as she realized how _terrified _Gideon looked-his face was white and he began to shiver, and Maddy knew it wasn't from the cold.

Dax went over to him. 'What is it mate?' he asked, lightly touching his friends shoulder. He took a deep gasp.

'What? What is it?' Maddy asked, suddenly afraid.

Gideon suddenly shook his head and aimed the stick at a nearby hedge. A cry of pain seemingly broke the spell and Gideon relaxed, although his eyes were still wide. Dax appeared to be absentmindedly rubbing his wrists.

'Get lost, Spencer,' Gideon shouted into the trees. Two heads appeared from behind the bush-one with dull brown hair, and one with wild ginger hair that looked as if it had just been electrocuted. The kid with the ginger hair sniggered as he walked towards them as if he hadn't a care in the world, with his friend scurrying close behind. 'Still scared, Giddy?' he mocked, walking in circles around Gideon. 'Oh dear. You really must get over that. I dunno why, it just makes you seem…weak.' The boy put a hand to his head and pretended to think. 'I can't remember why…something about…aaa…..'

'Get lost,' Gideon repeated, snarling.

'Temper, temper,' The boy smiled wickedly. 'Scared you though, didn't I? Mmm, I must try that out on Luke….haha, his face would be _pricele-_

He didn't get to finish his sentence. Gideon punched him.

Okay so I know where this is going and such, so hopefully the next chapter will be up today or tomorrow =D

Spook really needs new ideas to annoy Gid.


	3. Chapter 3

'Ow. Ow. Ow! Owowowowowowowooowwwwwwww-'

'Gideon, shut up.' This last comment was from Lisa, who was elegantly glossing her nails and raising an eyebrow at Gideon's protests.

'But it huuurrrts!' Gideon wailed, springing from the chair he was resting on and hopping around the room, cursing and nursing his red knuckles.

Jennifer narrowed her eyes. 'Gideon, get back here this instant and stop moaning, otherwise I swear I will throw this TCP _in your eyes_.'

Pouting, Gideon sat back down again heavily and reluctantly held out his knuckle. Maddy inwardly winced. His hand was red and throbbing, and a few cuts lined his fingers. That other boy wasn't better off, either. After Gideon's fist had come into contact with the red-head's nose, he had screamed in agony and clapped his hands to his nose. The other kid had glanced warily at her as his friend jumped up and lunged at Gideon. Only Dax had managed to break the two up and they miserably trailed towards the college.

Spook, Maddy remembered. That was his name. Weird. Shrugging, she caught Dax's eye as he smiled wryly. Obviously Gideon made this much fuss over anything.

'Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. WATCH IT!' Gideon suddenly shouted, pulling his fist back from a tutting Jennifer. He frowned. 'Why can't we get Mia, anyway? It would be so much easier. And painless.'

'Mia, for your information, is having a shower. She is relaxing _without _you interrupting her,' Jennifer hissed as Gideon made for the door. Gideon paused, suddenly realizing he was going to burst into a naked girl in the shower, and sheepishly examined his fist. 'Myeh. I think it's all better now anyway. Thanks for your help, Jenny.' He grinned at her, then turned to a corner of the room. 'Hey, Luke, you coming?'

Maddy half jumped as she focused on the boy hunched up in the corner reading. She hadn't even noticed he was there. He had been so s_ilent_. A bookworm, she supposed. This must be Gideon's twin. The same messy blonde hair, amused blue eyes…yep, it was definitely him. The only difference was the black rimmed glasses lining his eyes.

Luke glanced up and smiled, placed his book down, and got up to join them. Lisa oh-ever-so-subtly stuck her foot out, but Luke easily removed it from his path using telepathy. Lisa pouted, glaring at his back and turning red.

'Ooops. The Volcano is about to erupt,' Gideon grinned, noticing Lisa's furious face. 'Evacuate! Evacuate!' He made a big scene of rushing out the door and slamming it behind him. A second later, a hand poked out and motioned towards the door. 'Quick, and she may not notice you,' his voice hissed, and Maddy giggled making for the door. 'Grab the children, she can destroy _anything_!'

Lisa stood up, raging. 'GIDEON!'

Gideon's cheeky face peered through the door. 'You love me really,' he whispered, and then he ran for his life.

It was half an hour before Gideon could escape from Lisa's rage, and by then he was so exhausted he was thinking about putting the conker hunt off.

'Oh, come on,' Dax protested as Gideon began to pull off his gloves. 'I didn't wear Gina's homemade jumper for nothing!' It was true that Dax was currently trying unsuccessfully to roll up the huge, baggy sleeves on a disgusting green jumper. It was the only protection he had against the harsh weather; that and being a fox of course.

Gideon paused. 'That's true. And I suppose I could get a really good shot of you outside…'

Dax immediately switched to a fox and refused to shift back.

Hesitantly, Maddy reached out to pat the beautiful creatures head. To her relief, Dax didn't flinch away, only looked up at her with handsome brown eyes that said that he didn't really mind the petting.

Gideon, who had seen, began to pout and he turned indignantly to Luke. 'He doesn't let me do that!' he whined. Luke slapped him around the head and grinned.

_Aren't you going to say anything? _The unspoken thought lingered in Maddy's head as the four of them began to make their way out of the college and towards the wood. A few ravens fluttered from the trees as they approached, and Maddy felt a sudden need to be with them. It occurred to her that she had never flown as a raven before.

'Luke's found one!' Gideon's shout made her turn to see Luke bending over a cluster of nuts. She took out the carrier bag she had been keeping in her pocket and began to stuff the conkers into it.

DaxFox gave a short yap and pointed with his muzzle towards a tall tree. Maddy wandered over to it, and began to shift through the leaves surrounding it. A flash of silver metal flickered in the corner of her eye, but she ignored it, instead working her way around the tree searching for the conkers. Defeated, she looked up at Dax, shrugging. 'I can't find them. Where are they?'

With another short yap, DaxFox bounded over to her, and began to sniff at the ground. Maddy noticed that his ears began to inch further back across his head but he carried on.

Then she saw the flash of silver again with Dax advancing towards it.

She called out in shock, saw Dax's paw land in its place, saw the menacing claws snap shut…

A whine.

A shout.

And now, with the leaves shifted by Dax's writhing body, she could see clearly the silver, evil fox trap that had sunk deep into the fox's leg.


	4. Chapter 4

_HEY GUYS :D I am sooo sorry this is late! Anyway, I'll be a lot quicker with the chapters this time ^_^_

_Oh my God. _The words ran through Maddy's mind like a swarm of buzzing bees, blocking out any other rational thoughts and controlling her. _Oh my God ohmygodohmygod-_

The twin brothers weren't any better off either. Neither, it seemed, was Dax. Although the fox was perfectly still, Maddy could see the beads of sweat rolling down his face and dripping from his muzzle. His slender mouth was half open in a pant.

Suddenly, Maddy's first aid skills came back to her, and for the first time, she was grateful for the course that her father had sent her on. _Call someone who can help. _But she couldn't do that, so she turned desperately to Gideon and Luke. "Do you have a mobile phone?" she asked. She was surprised at how calm her voice sounded.

Pale face, Gideon dug inside his coat pocket and numbly removed a phone. Maddy snatched it and checked for a signal, then cursed under her breath when she found none. "Okay, one of you will have to go and get Mrs. Satre," she decided, staring both boys in the eye. "Gideon, you're fast. You go."

"Will he be oka-"

"Just go," she snapped, a wave of despair flushing over her. Gideon blinked at her, then turned to Dax, before rushing away into the forest.

_Check the wound. _

Dropping to her knees, Maddy crawled over to Dax's leg. The wound was grotesque, the cruel wire digging into the flesh and bone, dry blood spilling over the side. She touched it experimently; Dax whined and pulled away.

_Clean the wound._

"Luke, do you have any water?" she asked, turning to the mute telekinetic. Luke shook his head and dropped down beside her, pointing left urgently.

"What?" Maddy urged, peering in the direction Luke was pointing. "I don't see anything."

Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Luke grabbed a nearby stick and hurriedly wrote in the mud; RIVER.

Maddy gasped aloud. "How far is it?"

Luke stood up and began to walk away hastily. Maddy watched him go, hoping he was heading for the river. She didn't see how he could bring the water back.

Turning back to the injured fox, she hesitantly reached out a hand and began to rhymtically stroke his head. Dax whined, staring back up at her with wide, trusting eyes."I think you should go to sleep," Maddy whispered, wondering why she was talking to a boy like he was a toddler. "Gideon will be back soon, and you know he'll have a panic attack if he sees you like this."

Dax gave a little snort. Maybe laughter? Foxy laughter? Maddy grinned despite everything.

She placed her other hand on his shoulder and closed her eyes, feeling the wind ruffle the tan fur beneath her fingers. Dax's breathing slowed, and his eyes rolled upwards into his head as he fell into a sleep.

Breathing heavily, Maddy took her hands from her friend and inspected the wire. It was attatched to a stab of wood, half hidden in the mud and leaves. Frowning, she experimentally pulled on it; to her surprise the wire loosened. Hopeful, she pulled harder, and within a few tugs, the wooden chip was dug out of the earth.

She didn't stop to think how she had managed it so quickly, so she removed Dax's slim and trembling leg from the wire. It came away easily, the wire now a small light in the dark forest.

Sighing in relief, Maddy looked around and huffed when she saw no sign of Gideon or Luke. She halfheartedly wondered where they had gone, what was taking them so long?

Bored, she concentrated on herself. She felt like she could climb the highest tree, battle the fiercest warrior, calm the most distressed baby. She felt on top of the world, in a neverending adrenalin rush.

Yes, the feeling scared her slightly. But she ignored it, instead peering up at the sky.

With a squawk, the jet black raven swooped into the sky and out of sight.

_Sorry for the short chapter, I just really didn't know what to put in it DX The next chapter will be longer and more interesting._

_Merry Christmas :3_


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey guys! Tiiiiny bit later than planned, but hey, this is a long chapter, right :D…By my standards, anyway. Also, whilst searching ravens for information, I found it that they bring bad luck and death._

_Which is perrrffeccccctttttt. XD For the story, I mean. I'm not some physcopath o.0_

_Yeah, I'm a tiny bit hyper tonight. Enjoy!_

It was beautiful. Magnificent. The feeling of soaring in the air, feeling the wind turrents beneath her feathered wings…it was magical, almost.

With a gleeful caw, Maddy the raven turned in mid air, swooping over low cut trees and fences. A few horses grazing in a field looked up at her in boredom, before returning to their grass. They must see hundreds of ravens every day. Her eyesight was spectacular, giving her a perfect view of every strip of grass, every footprint engraved in the mud.

Casting her wings out in front of her, she examined them. They were a sleek, inky black, ruffled slightly in the wind, feathers fluttering from the bone. Turning her head, she saw a slim body with a flat tail poking from the back. It swung in the breeze, and beneath her stomach, two spindly talons.

She was amazing. She was beautiful. She hadn't even knew she _held _this power, and yet _here it was_. Giving a chirrup of approval, Maddy began to wonder what animal she would turn to next. Dax had three animal forms-the fox, the falcon, and the otter. Whatother marvelous creature would she transform into next? Maybe a horse, with spectacular hooves and glowing body. Maybe another bird of some type? Or a foreign creature, such as a lion or a tiger? Maybe even a snake; a sly reptile, peering through the tufts of large grass, eyes fixed on its prey, about to strike-

_EEK!_

With a cry, Maddy found herself back on the ground again, sitting with her legs splayed out and rubbing her head, wincing. Shocked, she stared at her talons; hands, with shiny palms and curved fingers. Her hair blew infuriatingly in the breeze, and her eyesight was reduced to almost nothing compared to the bird.

Sighing in disappointment, she picked herself up and glared at the tree that had caused her injury. Its branches swayed for a second, before returning to its still form; the only evidence that Maddy's experience had not been a dream were the three black raven feathers lying at the bottom of the trunk.

"Oh, great. Where am I _now_?" she muttered, gazing around her in confusion. The trees all looked the same, and there seemed to be no way out of the forest. Quickly, Maddy hid the panic that was threatening to blow up in her stomach.

"Okay…" she murmured to herself, inspecting the muddy floor. "I swear we were around here…somewhere. Coz look, there's our footprints!" she exclaimed in triumph, spotting three pairs of prints, and one pair of pawprints.

Blushing, she immediatley peered around nervously, just in case anyone had noticed her. There was no-one in sight.

"Um…this way then…" she decided self-conciously, following the prints through rows of trees and bushes. Occasionally she would stop and check behind her again; something about the wood made her nervous and the hairs at the back of her neck bristled at the thought of it. Frowning, she quickly scanned her view of the forest-nothing.

Out of the blue, a tree somewhere to her left rattled, its spindly branches bobbing up and down as if headbanging. An owl nesting in it took flight with a startled hoot, flying straight over Maddy's head and leaving her gazing in wonder. Then she glanced around again, completely spooked. Okay, so, a tree was just swayed by the wind. That's it. Nothing supernatural here.

She stopped herself. There _was_ something supernatural about this forest. It was right next to a school made up of eleven students, all of which had incredible powers.

The thought sent a tingle down her spine.

Glancing back, she set off again, taking long, determined strides until she eventually broke out into a sprint. She didn't look back, and the feeling that someone was watching her stayed with her until she returned to the college.

"Where have you _BEEN_?"

"…Um."

"Do you know how w_orried_ I've been?"

"…Sorry…"

"I mean, you could've been _killed_, or…or _beaten up, _or _killed_…!"

"I'm really sorry…"

"And honestly, what with_ Dax-_"

"Jesus Christ, Gideon, she said sorry!" Lisa eventually snapped, turning to glare at the panicked telekinetic.

Gideon narrowed his eyes at both girls, one trying to hide behind her hair and the other about to slap the life out of him.

"Okay, whatever, sorry," he finally muttered, heavily sitting down and cradling his head in his hands. "I just can't believe that happened. The woods are meant to be _protected_!"

"I'm sure it was just a one off," Mia suggested, from where she was sitting by the fire.

"Yeah, but how many '_one-offs_' are there gonna be?" Gideon hissed through his fingers.

Mia looked worried. Lisa looked about ready to kill him. Maddy felt guilty.

"Well, aren't you a happy bunch?" Alex crowed from the sofa. Jacob grinned, but otherwise looked faintly worried.

"Still looking after little Daxy?" Spook sniggered, wafting his cape around his shoulders. Darren shifted uncomfortably next to him.

"Shut the hell up."

Spook sighed in mock sadness. "You know, he's not always gonna make it. There's always a chance…I mean, seriously. No-one lives forever. You should know that better than most," he added, grinning evily. Gideon's head shot up in fury.

"I said, _SHUT U-"_

"_Spook!_"

Aruptly, Spooks' mouth shut closed. Mia glared daggers at him from the other side of the room, the fire next to her wavering a little. The rest of the Colas began to edge away, looking for anything they could use as defence if things got nasty.

Maddy hovered by Alex, who wisely advised her to 'take cover'. She looked at him strangely.

Gideon faltered in his rage for a moment, before beginning again, angrier than ever. "Yeah, so just get lost, you little magical git before I hit the stuffing outta you-"

"_Gideon_!"

Gideon shut up quickly. Both boys looked with wide, ashamed eyes at the healer as she fixed her gaze on them.

"Sorry, Mia," both muttered, scowling at eachother during their co-operation.

"Dax is going to be fine," Mia said, her voice level, even, but with a huge warning. "Okay? So no more fighting, arguing, squabbling, hitting, abilities, until he's better and can join in. Okay?"

"Okay," all the Cola's muttered, shifting under the girls' gaze.

Mia's face seemed to brighten up. "Good!" she announced, and the fire beside her began to flicker and calm to a short, transparent flame. The Colas' breathed out in relief as one.

"Ah, well. I think I had some homework," Jacob said brightly, dragging his brother from the room. Weirdly, the other Colas' seemed pretty enthusiastic about the 'homework', piling out until only Maddy, Mia, Lisa and Gideon were left in the room.

For a while, the room was silent; after that silence, Gideon looked up, shamefaced, and smiled sadly at Mia. "Thanks."

Mia beamed back. "No problem. You're right; he is a git."

Gideon laughed. "Don't let him hear you say that!"  
Lisa sniffed. "She can say whatever she wants."

Maddy blinked. "What was that about?" she asked, completely lost in the conversation.

All three students looked at her, at eachother, then back at her. Maddy could almost see the clogs working in their brains. _What do we tell her NOW?_

"Nothing…it's nothing," Gideon said quickly, covering up his hesitation with a lopsided grin. Mia and Lisa nodded in agreement, although Maddy noticed that Lisa was staring at Gideon from the corner of her eye.

The silence in the room was tense.

"Hey," Gideon suddenly said, standing up. "Where's Luke?"

"He's your brother," Lisa snapped.

Poking his tongue out at her, Gideon made for the door. "Well, I need to see if he wants to go and visit Dax. He'll need the company. Adios," he added, making a mock salute as he made a quick getaway.

Maddy stared after him. "He's always with Luke," she realized, peeking up at the two other girls in the room with her. "It's kinda sweet, actually…" She broke off, blushing furiously.

Lisa paused from her vital examination of her nails to raise an eyebrow. "Sweet? Pssht. Gideon is _anything _but sweet."

"I can see why he does it though," Mia said slowly, her gaze flicking from Lisa to Maddy to the floor.

Lisa pursed her lips in thought. "True, that." Her face scrunched up in anger. "Stupid, ignorant, bitchy little-"

"_Lisa._"

"Riight," Lisa hissed, flouncing from the room. "You can't keep it a secret forever, you know!" she added, with a withering glare at both of them.

"What was that all about?" Maddy whispered, dropping her gaze to the floor.

When she looked up again, Mia's eyes were as cold as ice. It was almost scary, to see the fury contained in the sweet, peaceful girl.

"Believe me," Mia muttered, and when she spoke, her voice was dark and hard. "You don't want to know."

_OKAY SO. The-chapter-after-the-next, it shall get onto the whole main…plotliney thing of this. I'll start making the chapters longer, as I don't really want this to get past 15 chapters ^_^_

_And as Gideon would say._

_Adios! *mock salute*_


	6. Chapter 6

_If you let me, I could,_

_I'd show you how to build your fences,_

_Set restrictions,_

_Separate from the world,_

_The constant battle that you hate to fight just blame the limelight._

_Don't look up, just let them think there's nowhere else you'd rather be!_

_And now you can't turn back,_

_Because this road is all you'll ever have._

_-Fences © Paramore. It's an awesome song :D _

"So where did you get off to?"

A flurry of hands.

"Really? Cool. Find anything?"

More quick signals. Gideon nodded as he fixed his eyes on them, brain working in overdrive as he struggled to remember what they meant.

One eyebrow raised, he raised his gaze to his brother. "You found a duck paddling in a pool? In the _library_?"

Luke glared at him and the twin held up his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay, sorr-_ee_. I just don't know what-" (More flurry of hands, this time on Gideon's part) "-_that _means."

It was good to see that the boy was a bit more upbeat after visiting Dax. He had reported back; '_Huge s_car, honestly, it was _massive, _and he's gonna have to wear crutches for a few weeks, _and _he's gonna get outta P.E., lucky fella, and basically he's fine."

Maddy hid a grin as she remembered how, soon after, Gideon had been caught raiding the food cupboards in the kitchen. It was true, chocolate made everything better.

"So, what's he say?" Lisa asked casually now, painting a glimmering nail varnish onto her already perfect nails and examining them critically.

"Well." Placing a hand to his temples, Gideon frowned in deep concentration. "He says that he was at the library…searching for…I dunno, paranormal activity in the 1930's?"

Luke nodded in encouragement.

"Right. And then he found this whopper of a book and spent all afternoon reading it? Was it any good?" he added. "Any really really gory stuff?"

Luke shook his head quickly.

"Aw."

It was weird. Gideon was so jolly and carefree and _cool_, and there was his twin brother, nerdy and bookish. And yet they got along together like chalk to a board.

"Uh. Huh. Interesting," Lisa murmured, not really finding it interesting at all. However, she appeared to be in a good mood, so obviously she was making an effort. "Hey, Mia, what colour do you think I should do this hand?"

As Mia crawled over to help Lisa with her makeover, Maddy took the time to focus on the rest of the Colas' in the room. Alex and Jacob were reading books, occasionally bursting into sniggers; Clive was lecturing Barry on how he didn't complete his run around the field, and Jennifer was doing some late homework. It all seemed peaceful and calm.

"Hey, Mads."

The greeting had come from Jacob (-or was it Alex?-), who was now beckoning her over with a hand. Confused, Maddy wandered over to them as they glanced suspiciously around the room.

They turned back to her as one. "Wanna play truth or dare?"

Maddy stopped in her tracks. "Er…" Weren't they a little bit too old for truth and dare? "Um…I-"

"Great!" Alex exclaimed, dropping the book and giving a quick clap of his hands, breaking the silence hanging in the room. Everyone turned round to glare at him. "Oops. Sorry," he whispered, picking up the book and hastily propping it by the side of the cushioned sofa he was stationed on.

"So, let's get started," Jacob declared, more quietly this time so that Maddy had to lean forward to hear him.

"I never-"

"Oh, c'mon Mads, we're _bored_," Alex persisted in a low whisper. "Books? Seriously? Everything's so quiet and boring! It's always like this when it gets to evening." Then he held out his hands in beckoning. "So, you in?"

"Um…"

"Brilliant!" both boys chorused as one happily.

"Okay, I go first," Jacob decided, fixing Maddy with an evil glare. Maddy visibly deflated.

"Okay. Truth or dare?"

"Erm…truth?" Maddy squeaked, wondering how she got tied into this.

Both brothers raised their eyebrows. "You're supposed to say 'dare'," Alex pouted. "It's funner that way."  
"Dare…then?"

"I dare you to go and step on Spook's cloak," came the immediate reply.

Blinking, Maddy wondered if she had heard wrong. "What do you mean?"  
"Step on it. Like, rip. Torn. _Ruined_," Jacob finished, a menacing grin creeping over his face.

"But why would you want me to do that?"

Tutting, Alex raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Spook's been annoying us for _waaay _too long. It's time for revenge!"

"Then why can't you do it?"

The brothers paused to think about this for a moment. "Well, he'll know it was us immediatley," Jacob finally explained slowly and carefully. "But if you, the shy, nervous new girl does it, he'll never suspect a thing!"

Unsure, Maddy glanced over to where Spook was chatting happily with Darren. As always, the red headed boy was taking the lead of the conversation, occasionally wafting his hand in emphasis. Darren just nodded and tried to look interested. The cloak was wrapped protectively around Spook's waist. It shone slightly as the sinking sun flooded in through the windows.

"Um…I can't," Maddy decided, turning back to the dismayed brothers.

"_Awwwwwww_."

"I mean, can't you get someone else to do it?" she added quickly.

"Nah. Everyone else is too wimpy to do it," Alex muttered, resting his chin on his hand in a sulky fashion. Both brothers looked longingly over at where Spook's cloak was strewn across the floor lazily, glimmering with the sequins carefully sewn to it. Spook was still wrapped up in the heated conversation, and Darren was staring longingly at his book on the other end of the common room, probably wishing he had the power of telekinesis right then.

As she gazed at them, Spook glanced over his shoulder and caught her gaze. Startled, Maddy dropped her gaze to the floor, but not before she caught sight of Spook beginning to move towards her. Great.

Maddy, Jacob and Alex looked up as one as the boy towered above them.

"Hey, Spence-"

Without warning, the Teller brothers gasped and stared in horror down at their feet. Maddy followed their gaze in confusion, seeing nothing but trainers and carpet. The boys, however, instantly began to whack their knees violently-"Hey! Cut that out!" Alex snapped up at Spook, who was watching them with a smirk.

"Next time, I'll illusion the _pain _too," Spook hissed, before stalking out of the room with a wave of his cloak.

They relaxed, flopping back against the cushions with a sigh. Looking around, Maddy noticed that many of the Colas were looking distinctively freaked out too, but trying to hide it by instantly looking away whenever her head turned to them. Weird.

Maddy instantly whipped her head to the boys feet again. There was _nothing there_. What was it that she was missing.

"Speaking of that. What can you do?"

Maddy jumped. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Jacob said, swinging one arm over the back of the armchair, "What's your power? You know, uh, '_gift_'?"

"Oh. That," Maddy murmured. She wasn't really anything special. Well, maybe she was, but the whole place was bound to be swarming with shapeshifters.

Alex began to tick the powers off one by one on his fingers. "Telepath? Dowser? Healer? Oh good grief, don't tell me you're a _glamourist_. We can't have _ANOTHER _Spook!"

"Um-"

"Shapeshifter? Telekinesis? Any other weird, random abilities that we don't know about yet?"

"Yeah-I mean, yeah, shapeshifter…?" Maddy stuttered, quietly ending in a question as the boys stared at her in shock.

Her response was met with mixed reactions; a whoop from Alex and an 'aw, man!' from Jacob. Alex gave his brother a sly look, and then, as if on cue, the air around Maddy wavered and shook. A moment later, a girl was stepping out from apparently nowhere and holding a hand out.

She was tall and slim, with dark brown hair tumbling over her shoulders. Rimmed glasses lined her eyes, and her expression now was that of smugness.

Maddy's jaw dropped.

Grumbling, Jacob fumbled about in his pockets, taking his time. The girl's lips tightened and eventually a few coins tumbled from Jacob's to her hand. She quickly counted out the money, before smiling at the boys and making to walk away, accidentally bumping into Maddy on the way. Almost immediatley she half-dissapeared, so that Maddy could see Gideon and Luke annoying Lisa through her shimmering outline.

"Oh!" the girl exclaimed, reappearing again. Her glasses were skewed. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

Maddy blinked at her, unable to believe what she was seeing. "Are-are…did…you-"

The girls face softened into sympathy and guilt. "Oh God, I'm sorry. It must be a shock for you, seeing me like this."

_That's just it! I didn't see you AT. ALL._

The girl extended a hand, shoving the money into her pocket. "Hi. I'm Jennifer."

"M-Maddy…"

Jennifer grinned. "Really? That's a nice name. I love that name. And a s_hapeshifter_!" she added in joy, eyes sparkling. "There's only one other shapeshifter!"

"O-one…?" Maddy echoed dimly, rapidly losing self confidence.

"Yeah. And that's Dax." Was it just her imagination, or did Jennifer seem to blush a little there? Maybe fade out a bit?

"O-okay."

Reappearing again, Jennifer extended a hand. "Come on. I'll show you to your room. You are in our dorm aren't you?"

"Yes," Maddy said, vaguely remembering Jennifer's name being on the list of girls she would be sharing a room with.

Smiling broadly, Jennifer turned to Lisa and Mia, who were sitting by the fire. They turned together, and Mia beamed; Lisa did not.

Before she could say hello to them, Jennifer had grasped her hand and was now dragging her from the common room. Mia and Lisa were close behind.

"And then you came and there was only one shapeshifter left, right, because the other one had somehow-"

"Let's not get into that," Mia interrupted, casting a worried glance at Maddy and cutting off Jennifer's stream of chatting.

There was silence for a while as they walked the halls of the college. Maddy dimly thought about what Mia had meant, but then passed it off as another strange secret. It wasn't her place to know, anyway.

"This is our dorm!" Mia suddenly announced, much too brightly. Jennifer swung open the door, extending an arm to show the room in all its glory.

It was quite big, with three beds placed on either side of two Victorian windows; now that Maddy peered in closer, she could see another placed by the wall. Wardrobes and desks lined the room, and it looked sweet and cosy.

She turned to smile at the anxious girls. "It looks great," she told them truthfully.

Lisa barged past her as marched into the room. Her good mood hadn't lasted for long, and now she was giving Maddy a look as if she were a piece of dirt. "Well?" she snapped. "Don't just stand there, you're blocking up the door."

"Oh-sorry!" Maddy stuttered, jumping into the room and then stepping back with a squeak.

"Don't step on that!" Lisa hissed, picking up the iPod that Maddy had accidentally trodden on. "This is the only thing that keeps me _sane _in this loony bin!"

Mia followed her in and placed a comforting hand on her friends shoulder. Lisa shook it off, glaring. "I've been nagged all day. _All. Day. _Do you know what that feels like?" she added, apparently to Maddy.

Maddy remembered the thousands of times when her family had nagged her to do something, she couldn't remember now, until she had finally given up and obeyed. "Ye-"

"_NO!_ No, you don't, and good luck on you," was the instant, seething reply.

"Uhm-"

There was a knock at the door, and as the girls turned to it, Gideon's flop of messy blonde hair peeked in. It instantly retreated as a trainer was professionally flung at him, and they could hear his voice from the other side of the door: "Jeez, what was that for? You were _decent_!"

"_GIDEON_!" Lisa screamed, hurling another shoe at the door. It fell to the floor without harming the boy in any way, and Lisa flung herself from her bed and marched over to the door, ready to cause harm to him herself. As soon as she opened the door and saw Luke standing behind him, looking vaguely amused, Gideon launched into excuses.

"'sfinewe'lljustleaveyou," he babbled.

Lisa glared at him for a moment, obviously working out whether what he was saying was valid or not. Gideon visibly began to relax, catching on to the fact that he wasn't going to be brutally murdered. And then Lisa's elbow smashed into his stomach, sending him sprawling to the corridor floor.

Luke immediatley leaped out of the way (it was almost as if he had been expecting it) and stared down at his brother. His expression could be summed up as: _You should have seen that one coming_.

Lisa's face was not much different. One eyebrow raised, she turned her back on them, and stared at the girls. "Well. Are you coming?" she asked, half snippily.

Maddy obediently followed, not really wanting to annoy Lisa more than she already had. Mia got up more slowly, in a more laidback style, and Lisa's lips tightened. Jennifer stayed where she was, absently saying that she would see him later. Probably with Barry, or, er…someone. Maddy tried not to notice that the glamourist's ears were turning red.

Obediently, Maddy followed Lisa and Mia from the dorm, trying to ignore the dirty looks coming from the telepath's way. Gideon and Luke were following, Gideon uncharacteristically quiet, but that was probably because he was in fear for his life. Oh yeah, and his head hurt like crazy.

The nurse was pretty and slim, with kind, sparkling eyes. "You can visit him as long as you want," she told them gently. "Just don't get him too tired."

Dax was propped up against the bed, a sheet of paper and pencil on the desk next to him. He looked pretty contented, under the circumstances. Mia shot over to him. "Oh, Dax-" she whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder. Dax shuffled away, grinning at her but with a serious edge in his eyes.

"Jeez, Gid, anyone would have thought I was _dying _or something, the way you keep coming," Dax grumbled teasingly, readjusting his pillow and whacking it into place. Gideon huffed.

"Oh, well, that's fine. I'll just go, if that's how you're gonna be," he told them, making to get up.  
"Er-no, that's okay."

Gideon settled back down again, grinning. "It's so boring. You do know that you cause many of the excitement around here?"

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It wasn't one."

"Whatever."

As they bickered, Maddy went to sit at the chair closest to the desk. As she did so, her elbow brushed against the paper, and the pencil rolled off, disappearing on the floor.

"Well done," Lisa sneered.

"Oh-sorry," she murmured, feeling her cheeks rise up in that familiar blush. It was so irritating. She knelt down to retrieve it, feeling under the bed blindly until at last her fingers clasped around the pencil.

"Hey-where'd Maddy go?" Gideon's bemused voice brought her head rising back up into view, blushing furiously.

"It, er…went under the bed," she said in means of explanation, placing the pen back on the desk next to the sick bed. Dax grinned and thanked her.

Maddy scrambled back onto her chair, where she sat staring at the floor, listening to the vague conversation between the others. Lisa was boasting about something or other, and Dax was laughing, and Mia and Gideon were trying to keep up with the conversation. Luke said nothing, and yet again, Maddy wondered why. Eager to find out, she lifted her head to glance at him curiously; only to find that he was already staring at her.

His expression couldn't have been colder.

It was lights out. Maddy lay in the dark, getting used to the feel of the unfamiliar bed. It was comfy enough, just not as nice as her bed back home; she would get used to it. A wave of homesickness washed over her and she buried her face in her pillow. She wanted her dad.

Not that she wanted to leave the school. It was great, and the kids were all friendly enough (except for Spook. But she would just avoid him). She would learn to 'control' and 'reach out' to her powers, and pretty soon she would fit in-or as well as a shapeshifter could fit in.

Ugh. She didn't know w_hat _she wanted.

Was that normal?

Inwardly groaning, Maddy flipped onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, listening in to the muffled conversation echoing across the room, but not really taking it in. Her mind kept wandering to Luke's stony expression. Had she somehow done something to upset him? If so, could she make it up to him? She would have to ask him tomorrow. She couldn't be making enemies out of her friends on her first day.

Suddenly exhausted, Maddy turned onto her side and pulled the duvet up to her chin. Its warmth flooded through her. This place was pretty homey.

Sighing, her eyes fluttered closed. Tomorrow, she would sort it out with Luke, try to get on Lisa's good side, learn her powers, phone her father.

Everything would be fine in the morning.

_Uh…yeah. Right. Fine….in the, er, morning._

_The next update will be sooner, coz I'm in a bit of a writing mood ^.^_


	7. Chapter 7

iJesus Christ, that's a pretty face,

The kind you'd find on someone I could save.

If they don't put me away…

Well, it'd be a miracle.

And I, will die, all alone

And when I, arrive, I won't know anyone./i

Jesus Christ © Brand New

Maddy had been at the Lodge for about two months now, and she felt she had settled in quite a lot. Everybody was being on their best behavior for her, especially Dax, now that he had found he was in the presence of another shapeshifter, with the exception of Spook. Even Lisa had offered to give her a manicure last week. The only other person who hadn't gone out of their way to make her feel welcome was Luke, although she had begun to suspect that he was a bit shy and nervous. She couldn't blame him, really. The other day, one of Barry's experiments had exploded; she'd very nearly had a heart attack. Clive, of course, had instantly launched into a lecture on how Barry should have added the hydrogen iafter/i the metal, otherwise how would they get any proper results, did he iwant/i the whole school to explode?

Dax's leg had healed up quite nicely, and he no longer had to wear crutches, although he still hobbled along quite slowly. They were sitting now on a short wall overlooking a field of grass, watching Gideon chase Jacob and Alex all over the grounds for impersonating a very sexy and lovable Lisa behind his back. Gideon had gone bright red as 'Lisa' teasingly asked him if he wanted to spend the night at her dorm.

The atmosphere was very quiet and slightly awkward. Dax kicked his good foot against the wall, rubbing his hand through a mop of fluffy dark hair. Clutching her chest, Maddy gently allowed her hair to fall in front of her eyes and wondered if she should make an excuse that she had homework to get on with.

The sound of footsteps jerked her head upwards. Luke was walking towards them; he made to sit down next to her, before stopping and very pointedly sitting next to Dax instead and rapidly signaling to him.

Dax watched him with a frown. "Uhhh…sorry, mate, I'm not too good on the whole sign language thing."

Rolling his eyes with a grin, Luke just pointed towards the kitchens and then mimed drinking. Dax's eyes lit up. "You mean hot chocolate?"

There was a nod.

"Yeah, okay then. Are you getting some for everyone?"

Luke quickly counted the students on his fingers before nodding again. Dax watched his fingers. "There aren't eleven anymore-twelve, remember?" His smile was slightly uneasy as he gestured towards Maddy. Maddy smiled and gave a shy wave, which was ignored.

"Did someone say hot chocolate?" a voice suddenly called, and Gideon came rushing up the hill, clutching at a stitch in side and looking very red faced. Jacob and Alex, after having their T-shirts pulled up over their heads telekinetically, were now making a quick getaway. "If you did, make sure there's the fluffy cream on top. And sprinkles. And maybe a Flake."

"Any other requests, Your Highness?" Dax laughed, jumping up off the wall. Maddy followed suit.

Gideon considered this for a moment. "And a bar of Galaxy," he added, completely oblivious to the giggles around him.

They were all in the common room, sipping hot chocolate and relaxing, watching a slightly fuzzy magic act on the television. Spook was getting incredibly wound up about it, muttering under his breath all the mistakes the magician made, and how any fool could see that she wasn't ireally/i disappearing, you could see her slipping down into a secret panel, the moron…

Maddy was actually interested in the whole thing. Leaning forwards, she flicked hair behind her ear and watched intently as the magician effortlessly cut a woman in half before reattaching her to her limbs. It looked amazing. How the hell did they do it? Where did they come up with this stuff?

Spook, who was sitting opposite her, noticed her expression and scowled. "iPlease/i," he hissed, gulping down the last of his drink, "You think rookie tricks like that are any good? Let me show you some ireal/i magic."

Maddy blinked. "Uh…okay…I guess?"

Jennifer sniffed. "Don't be silly, Spook. She won't be able to see it anyway."

Spook's face fell.

"I won't be able to see it?" Maddy echoed, blinking and guessing she must look like a rabbit in headlights.

"You're a shapeshifter," said Dax. "Animals aren't affected by Spook's little…games."

"That's a good thing, right?"

Dax shrugged. "Depends on which way you look at it. I mean, Spook can't annoy you-"

"You shut the hell up, you deserve most of-"

"-But sometimes you do miss out on something really great. Like Alex in a sparkly bikini."

Almost instantly, Alex fluttered his eyelashes and put on a high, girlish voice. "Do you think it was too much?" he cooed, putting a hand to his mouth in mock embarrassment.

Ignoring him, Spook glared at Maddy and stood up straight, fists clenched. "You think you're so ispecial/i, don't you?" he snarled, before sweeping out of the room. There was a short pause, before an apologetic glance from Darren as he scurried out after his best friend.

Maddy was slightly upset by the sudden outburst, but had come to realize that that was just how Spook was. She wasn't going to go out of her way to try and make up with him when she hadn't done anything wrong, she decided.

There was a sudden poke to her left. Jacob was grinning at her. "Spook's a jerk, isn't he?"

Maddy hesitated before answering. "I guess."

"Yeah, that's just how it goes. I actually think he has anger issues." Sitting up straighter, he addressed his audience and mimicked a perfect imitation of Spook's oily voice. " 'No, Mr. Therapist, Sir, I don't have any issues-well…I have been lumbered with a terrible fashion sense, I suppose…"

"I don't think his fashion sense is all that bad," Mia piped up, before a scathing look from Lisa toned her down again.

" 'And I'm just isooo/i jealous of shapeshifters," Jacob continued. " 'I mean, iI/i want to turn into a doggy or a birdy too! It isn't ifair/i!"

Everybody was laughing. Maddy felt slightly bad for poor Spook, before remembering that he seemed determined to insult her every ten minutes. The sympathy stopped.

"I love the magic though," she chipped in, raising her voice slightly to be heard. "I mean, the normal stuff-coins and card tricks and all that."

Everybody turned to stare at her. Grinning, Alex raised his hand for a high-five. "Hey, you're good!" he exclaimed, as Maddy curiously high-fived him back, not having a clue why she was doing so.

"Watch out, Jake," Dax grinned, leaning back against the cushions. "You might have another mimic on your tail."

Maddy hadn't even known her voice could go deep…but then again, she had enjoyed acting out plays when she was little with her childhood friend Chase (who had unfortunately moved very far away). She had always been shy, even as a kid, but performing in front of her family, with Chase, who was extremely talented at acting, she felt happy and confident as she played evil old hags or damsels in distress. She supposed her hidden talent for acting had simply sprung up again.

But still…Luke didn't have to look so grumpy about it.

Maddy was sitting in the boys dorm room, fully engaged in a pillow fight. Feathers were flying everywhere, Gideon was screaming his head off with laughter, and Dax had fallen off the bed. She'd been mildly surprised when they'd invited her, but they insisted she was the most fun out of the lot. She still marveled at how effortlessly Gideon whizzed pillows about, hitting her and Dax square in the chest.

Luke was sitting in a secluded corner, sketching something on a piece of paper. He didn't look up when the boys stood up, still howling with laughter, looking at the mess of their bedroom.

"Hey!" Gideon suggested. "Maybe we can go and…borrow…some pillows off of Mia and Lisa. I'm sure they won't mind," he added innocently at Dax's skeptical look.

Sighing heavily, Dax shook his head. "Nah. We'd better clean this up. I'll go down and see if there's any binbags we can use."

"I'll come with you," Gideon immediately offered. "Save you from the teacher's wrath." As the two set for the door, he glanced behind him. "Mads, you can stay here if you like. Luke, make her feel at home…but do not, I repeat, do iNOT/i let her find my chocolate stash!"

Luke rolled his eyes and hunched up into a smaller bundle.

Now alone with someone who quite clearly did not want her there, Maddy was at a loss as to what to do. Sitting down on the floor, she took a deep breath and addressed Luke.

"Can you talk?"

iWow/i. That came out wrong. Luke's face confirmed this, as he glared at her with hatred.

"I…I'm sorry. That wasn't supposed to…I'm really sorry. Are you okay?"

Luke just studied her face for a moment. After a while, he returned to his sketchpad and began scribbling away.

Vaguely, Maddy wondered why he was being so….well…rude. Sighing, giving up, she stood up and made to turn away, before a loud thud on the wardrobe bought her attention back to the boy, who was now also standing up. He was slightly taller than she was, and eyed her coldly. The sketchpad was outstretched in front of him, the paper facing her; in the center where a few sketchy words.

iYou're one of them, aren't you?/i

Maddy paused and stared at the words for a bit longer before answering. "Erhmm…one of what, exactly?" she asked, desperately hoping this would all turn out to be an incredibly unfunny joke.

Luke scribbled in the sketchpad a bit more. This time only two words came up, and they held no meaning to Maddy whatsoever, but the look on Luke's face made her blood run cold for a reason she could not explain.

iA borrower./i

iHello! Well, I didn't actually update this. I'm still not sure I'll continue it, but I will try. Still, I decided you should all get at least a glimpse of why Luke hates Maddy so, so much...

Thank you for all the kind reviews! :D I really appreciate them! It's so surprising that people actually like this story..o.0 Thank you!

As I said, I will try to continue this, but I just haven't had much inspiration to write for a long time.

Also, here's a game-look back through the chapters and see if you can guess when Maddy was accidentally 'borrowing'. ;)/i


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